Scientific Method Projects for the 7th Grade

History

• One of the key figures in the development of the scientific method was Ibn al-Haythan in the 10th century A.D. Galileo Galilei also helped develop what we know to be to modern scientific method. Both men were primarily seeking truth, which could be obtained through experimentation and analyzing the results those experiments produced. The steps in the scientific method are as follows:

  1) Identify a problem or question
  2. Develop a hypothesis
  3. Design an experiment
  4. Conduct the experiment
  5. Collect data
  6. Graph data
  7. Draw conclusions

Identification

• There are many scientific problems or questions that seventh-graders will be able to identify. For the first experiment they conduct, it may be beneficial to have the entire class participate in the same experiment. For example, an experiment on the effects of lemon juice on bread mold involves common household items and can easily be performed in the students' homes or in the classroom.

Using the Steps

• For the experiment on the effects of lemon juice on bread mold, have your students hypothesize how the lemon juice will effect the growth of mold on bread. Will it promote the growth, inhibit the growth or have no effect? Set up the experiment in the classroom using a piece of bread with no lemon juice and a piece of bread with lemon juice liberally poured over it. Set the pieces of bread out in the open so that they are both equally exposed to the air. As each day goes by, have the students check on the pieces of bread and note what is happening to each piece of bread. At the end of the school week, ask the students if their hypotheses were correct or not; have them graph out how the bread molded with and without lemon juice.

Fun Projects

• Allowing students to pick a question and develop an experiment based on their interests will make the project more enjoyable. If your school holds a yearly science fair, your seventh-graders can participate by developing their own projects using the scientific method. Some fun project ideas are how ants use pheromones to navigate a maze, how a potato can conduct an electrical current, whether salt has an effect on a flame or if broccoli will absorb red and blue food dye from water.